Day four of the election fraud trial related to the 2020 general and regional elections focused on forged signatures, with three police officers testifying in court. Notably, Romario Campbell, a videographer from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force, presented crucial video evidence recorded during interviews conducted by Deputy Crime Chief Mitchell Caesar.
Campbell confirmed that he recorded interviews with Clairmont Mingo, the then Returning Officer for Electoral District 4, and PNC/R Executive member Carol Smith-Joseph at CID headquarters in August 2020. The prosecution tendered the video evidence, which was played in court. During the interview, Mingo was questioned about the authenticity of his signature on controversial election declarations.
A key moment in the testimony centered around an incident on March 5, 2020, when Mingo made a declaration from the balcony of the Ashmins Building while the tabulation of Statements of Poll (SOPs) was still ongoing. This premature announcement led to strong objections from representatives of various political parties. Subsequently, a document bearing what appeared to be Mingo’s signature was published on the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) website, along with a signature attributed to senior PNCR official Volda Lawrence.
Additionally, a second declaration dated March 13, 2020, surfaced during the investigation, allegedly signed by Mingo and bearing a second signature believed to be that of Smith-Joseph. Both documents were presented to Mingo during his interview, where he was again questioned about the authenticity of the signatures.
Prosecutor Latchmie Rahamat emphasized the significance of Campbell’s testimony, stating, “Now we saw his answers in relation to that allegation, so this forms an essential part of the prosecution’s case that has now been placed before the court.” Campbell’s evidence concluded during the morning session, and the defense did not pose questions, focusing instead on the content of the video recordings.
In the afternoon, CID officers Kevin Browne and David Samnarine provided additional testimony regarding their roles in the 2020 interviews with defendants Carol Smith-Joseph and Volda Lawrence. Browne served as the scribe, while Samnarine handled the video recordings. The court reviewed the two key declarations from March 5 and March 13, both published on GECOM’s website, and shown to the defendants during their interviews.
When questioned, Carol Smith-Joseph invoked her legal right to silence. Rahamat noted that the defense will have the opportunity to cross-examine Samnarine in the next session.
This high-profile case continues on Friday, September 19, and will proceed throughout the following week.
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